Wednesday, October 21, 2009

70 million by 2029

The Office for National Statistics has stated that the UK population will reach 70 million by 2029. Every year we are told that 425,000 more people will be living here, the eqivalent of a city the size of Bristol. Our population is 61 million at the moment - this is some growth rate; nearly twice as fast as it took the population to grow from 50 to 60 million between 1948 and 2005.

What will our country be like in 2029? Will there be room for cars on the road? Will we have countryside? Will our cities be more polluted? What about jobs? Will it still be an aging population? What about cultural diversity; what will it mean to be British? Questions which we really cannot answer!

I will be 68 if I am alive in 2029. Have you thought about what age you will be, where you might be and what you could be doing. Now that sounds like a good line for selling life insurance - well I am not selling but I am making you aware of reality. None of us know where we will be in 2029. Our circumstances could have changed beyond recognition.

What's the worst case scenario? Well you say I could be dead! Morbid, maybe; possible, sadly yes. May I tell you how I feel. Much as I do not particularly want to die it is not the worse case scenario for me. For when I die I am going straight to heaven. How do you know you say? To quote the old children's chorus - 'the bible tells me so'. After Jesus Christ had died on the cross, he rose again. Eventually he returned to heaven from where He came. On numerous occasions (John.17.24)the Lord Jesus taught that those who believe on Him (trust and depend on Him for eternal life)on earth will go to be with Him in heaven when they die. Other New Testament books teach this as well (Phil.1.23). That's what I am looking forward to. What about you? You go one of two places, the bible also teaches that. You can be sure of heaven! It could be true for you as well, 'the Bible tells me so'.